John Rakolta Sr. was a child of Romanian immigrants who
settled in Detroit, Mich., in the early 1900s. After graduation
from Detroit's Pershing High School, he enlisted in the U.S.
Army and was selected for the Army Air Corps. He became a
bombardier navigator during World War II.

In 1945, John joined what was then one of dozens of
Detroit's small general contractors – Walbridge
Aldinger Company. One year later, he married his wife of 57 years,
Mary. He worked his way through college at night, and in 1953 he
received a bachelor's degree in business administration from
the University of Detroit.

By 1970, John was the sole owner, chairman and CEO of the
company. Among Walbridge's many notable projects are the
DaimlerChrysler Technology Center in Auburn Hills, the Nissan
Research and Development Center in Detroit, the Rouge Steel Hot
Strip Mill and the Compuware Headquarters building in downtown
Detroit.

During the 70s and 80s John established a reputation as an
honest and shrewd business leader, skilled in both the field and
office tasks of construction. During this time, John recognized his
responsibility to the industry to build leaders as well as
buildings. In doing so, he hired his son and several other then
young engineers who he would coach and mentor and guide to become
the current leaders of Walbridge.

John played an active role as a leader and mentor in the
construction and automotive industries throughout his career. He
remained chairman and CEO of Walbridge until 1993 when his son,
John Jr. succeeded him. He was the recipient of many honors, active
in numerous industry and civic organizations and served as a
trustee of New Detroit.

He was also very active in the Romanian-American community in
Detroit, and his far-reaching generosity included building several
Romanian churches in the Detroit area. Throughout his career, John
was a man of his word, always filled with respect for others. He
was a great constructor – not only of buildings, but of
businesses and lives.